Everyone wants to play in the Champions’ League because that’s where it is all happening says Davids who played in the competition for

“Everyone wants to play in the Champions’ League because that’s where it is all happening,” says Davids, who played in the competition for nine of the 10 years before he joined Spurs “That’s where you get the A-status for players. So what more can we do? We may be unlucky, but we have still established what we wanted and maybe next year we’ll go that stage further.”It won’t lessen the disappointment even if the Uefa Cup, he believes, will be a valuable consolation prize – in terms of experience if not money. We’ve had a great run and established ourselves among the top teams in England. “We had something in mind, we have worked to it and that will be a great feeling.”For Spurs that is a victory which will guarantee fourth place in the Premiership, above Ars-enal, and with it Champions’ League football.

That is, of course, unless their north London neighbours win the European Cup against Barcelona – one of Davids’ former clubs – later this month.But that’s for the future “That’s a whole different matter,” Davids says “The first thing is we have to do what we have to do And that’s win. You look at what you are trying to accomplish and you can finally have a positive result. If you are hoping for a Champions’ League final or winning a title it’s the same You are working for a result,” Davids explains. “It’s as important as any other important match I’ve played in,” says the 33-year-old veteran of four Champions’ League finals and a World Cup semi-final.”That’s because it’s what we have worked for all season. It is a duty Davids has enthusiastically discharged.And so when Spurs face West Ham United today, Davids will be able to say, in all honesty, that he adds Upton Park 2006 to Vienna 1995, Marseille 1998 and – most recently – Old Trafford 2003 as one of the biggest matches of his career. Add a “winning mentality and physical presence” to his team but, also, set the example and provide the guidance to the young players.

It’s Friday afternoon, and Davids steps off the sun-bathed training ground and swings his arm around an academy player Words of advice are offered The boy’s face lights up He appears to walk six inches taller. “And there is no ‘I’ in ‘we’.”

But then this is a more at-ease version of the old battle-hardened “Pitbull” who spoiled for a fight and fought his corner. “We work as a team,” he says of the effect he has had on Tottenham Hotspur’s burgeoning young squad. Edgar Davids makes the kind of statement that – given his competitive rage and his singular reputation for involving himself in a variety of confrontations throughout his intense career – may raise a few eyebrows in Amsterdam, Lombardy and Turin. I’ve got 40 caps and I’ve only played in my strongest position [attacking midfield] for England for 45 minutes.” The Liverpool captain has often been asked to occupy a more defensive role, to accommodate Frank Lampard, and recognises his versatility may have worked against him. Rooney’s absence, though, could give him the chance to play upfield, behind Michael Owen (if fit) or Peter Crouch..

Gerrard, who missed the last World Cup because of injury, said: “I was thinking about it the other day. Sven Goran Eriksson has two friendlies, a B international and 34 days to plot a solution for the probable loss to his World Cup plans of Wayne Rooney. But the message of England’s Steven Gerrard is: “Play me to my strengths and let me at the opposition.”

Gerrard was as downhearted as anyone by the metatarsal fracture suffered by his fellow Merseysider, but he will know that Rooney’s misfortune has also opened up opportunities for Eriksson to restructure his attacking forces. Suggestions from those who watched Dan Smith’s ankle-breaking tackle on Abou Diaby in the Sunderland v Arsenal game last Tuesday, a match officiated by Mr Gallagher, that he has retired because he has lost his red card are malicious and ill-founded We’ll hear no more of that, please.Simon Redfern. BSkyB snaffled four of the six available packages for 2007-10 and the other two went to Setanta, the Irish satellite channel.